System and method for providing data services using idle cell resources

ABSTRACT

Providing data services using idle cell capacity in a cellular communications system. The system and method assign priorities to each remote user device in the cellular communications system. In response to a request for service for a remote user device, the mobile switch determines whether an idle channel is available for the remote user device. If no idle channel is available, the mobile switch determines whether a remote use device with a lower priority than the requesting remote user device is using a channel. If a lower priority remote use is using a channel, its call is terminated and the channel is assigned to the requesting remote user device. If no lower priority remote user device is using a channel, the request for service is put into an ordered queue to wait for the next available idle channel.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to a switched communications systemand more particularly to a method for transmitting data using idlecommunications system resources.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Circuit switched networks, such as cellular communications systems,generally offer only one class of service which is used primarily forvoice calls. In a cellular communications system, voice calls competewith data calls for the same limited number of channels available in aparticular cell or access point to the network. Service providerstherefore cannot justify pricing data calls differently than voicecalls, and as a result, cellular communications systems have not beenextensively utilized as data networks.

Some service providers have sought to overcome the problem of singleclass service by deploying separate facilities to handle data calls on areduced rate basis. Separate data facilities in a cellularcommunications system still can only reduce the cost of data calls tothe extent that the capital investment for such facilities is lower thanthe cellular communications systems used for voice calls. Consequently,in existing cellular communications systems, the demand for voice callservice sets the price that a carrier will rationally charge forcompeting data call service.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention offers multi-level service in a wireless cellularcommunications system, as well as in a wired switched communicationsnetwork, by providing a system and method for utilizing idle channels ofan existing cellular communications system for transmission of data. Byoffering multi-levels of service on idle channels, the service providercan rationally price data call service below the pricing level of voicecall service while at the same time increasing the utilization of thecellular communications system.

Particularly, the system and method of the present invention arepredicated on the fact that many data transmission applications are notparticularly time sensitive. By contrast, voice calls are time sensitiveand require immediate connection and continuity of connection. A delayin sending e-mail for a few minutes or even a few hours does notsubstantially reduce the user's perceived value of the data transmissionservice. Likewise, an interruption in sending e-mail will notsubstantially reduce the perceived value of the service. Therefore, datacalls, unlike voice calls, can wait on the availability of an idlechannel. By utilizing idle channels for data transmission, the serviceprovider can rationally price data calls less than the higher priorityvoice calls. The use of idle channel capacity for data calls at a lowerprice also assures greater usage of the cellular communications system.

In order to utilize idle channels for data transmission, the system andmethod of the present invention assigns a priority to each remote userdevice. The priority of each remote user device is part of the profileand authorization information for each remote user. The priority isassociated with the mobile identification Number (MIN) for each remoteuser. The profile and authorization information including the priorityis maintained in a database (home location register (HLR)) in the mobileswitch. The mobile switch controls the cellular communications systemand provides the computer intelligence for the present invention.

When a call request is received at the mobile switch for service eitherfrom a remote user or to a remote user (first remote user), the mobileswitch first checks the profile and authorization information of thefirst remote user stored in the database HLR and determines the remoteuser's priority. The mobile switch then ascertains if a channel in thecell (or cell sector) where the first remote user device is located hasan idle channel. If an idle channel is available the call to or from thefirst remote user device is connected immediately without regard to thepriority of the first remote user device.

If, however, no idle channel is available for connection of the call toor from the first remote user device, the mobile switch searches thecell for a channel that is being used by a remote user device with apriority that is lower than the priority of the first remote userdevice. If no lower priority remote user device is found on an activechannel, the call request for the first remote user device may be placedin a priority ordered queue of other remote users to await theavailability of an idle channel. When the remote user is placed in theordered queue, the mobile switch notifies the remote user that it hasbeen placed in the queue so that the remote user will not continuerequesting service while the remote user's request for service is in thequeue. When a channel becomes available the remote user at the head ofthe ordered queue is then connected. Whether or not a remote user isplace in the queue depends on a number of factors including the profileand authorization information in the HLR for the remote user, whetherthe call is inbound or outbound, and how inbound data was handled by themobile switch. If the remote user has not registered to be queued or ifqueuing would tie up other resources, its call request will be endedwhen it can not be quickly connected.

If, however, a lower priority remote user device (second remote user) isfound in the cell (or cell sector), the mobile switch will terminate thecall for the second remote user device and connect the call for thefirst remote user device on the vacated channel. If more than one lowerpriority remote user device is found in the cell and if both lowerpriority users have the same priority, the lower priority user with thelongest call duration will be terminated in favor of the call requestfor the first remote user device.

At termination of the call of the second remote user in favor of thefirst remote user, the data transmission software of the second remoteuser recognizes the termination and stores parameters that allow thedata transmission of the second remote user to resume at the point inthe transmission where termination occurred. Once the call of the secondremote user device has been terminated, a request to resume the call forthe second remote user device may be placed in the priority orderedqueue to await the availability of an idle channel. When the secondremote user is placed in the ordered queue, the mobile switch notifiesthe second remote user so that the second remote user will not try toreestablish the connection until its call request reaches the head ofthe ordered queue. Notifying the second remote user of the calltermination and queuing also gives the second remote user theopportunity to shutdown its transmission of data in an orderly fashion,When the terminated call of the second remote user reaches the head ofthe ordered queue and when an idle channel becomes available, the callis resumed at the point where it was terminated.

When the call request to the first remote user originates from thepublic switched communications network and is for data transmission tothe first remote user, the mobile switch retrieves the profile andauthorization information for the first remote user from the HLR. If thefirst remote user is a high priority data user with time sensitive data(such as video data associated with a video conference call), therequest will be connected based on its priority, and the connection willbe maintained for the duration of the call.

If the first remote user, however, is a low priority data device and ifthe data is not time sensitive, the mobile switch will store all of theinbound data from the public switched communications network anddisconnect the call from the public switched communications network oncethe inbound data has been stored. To the inbound caller on the publicswitched communications network, the call appears to have beenimmediately connected and completed so that no further call requests forservice for that particular inbound call are made by that inbound callerto the mobile switch. In fact, the data is stored in a buffer at themobile switch or other central location, and a call request to the firstremote user is generated at the mobile switch. If an idle channel isavailable, the first remote user is connected, and the data is delivered(forwarded) from the buffer to the first remote user. If no idle channelis immediately available, the call request for the first remote user isplaced in the ordered queue, and the data is delivered (forwarded) fromthe buffer to the first remote user device when the first remote usermoves to the head of the ordered queue and when an idle channel becomesavailable.

In another aspect of the present invention, multiple channel dataservice is provide by using a mixture of priorities. For example, athree channel data service could be provided for a remote user byassigning a high priority to one of the remote user's channels and alower priority to the other two channels. This mixture of priorityassignments allows the remote user to get high priority access just likea voice call at all times on the high priority channel. During off-peaktimes when idle channels are available for the lower priority data, theremote user could achieve throughput on all three channels at a rate ofabout three times the voice rate.

The system and method of the present invention allows an existingcellular communications system or other switched communications networkto set up calls based on the priority assigned to each remote user. Acall to or from a lower priority remote user, such as a data call, isconnected only after the higher priority calls, such as voice calls, arecompleted and idle channels become available. By prioritizing and usingidle channels for lower priority calls, a service provider canrationally offer lower rates on the lower priority calls and at the sametime increase the overall utilization of the cellular communicationssystem.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is block diagram of a cellular communications system which is anenvironment for the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the method of handling requestsfor service from a remote user in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B is a flow diagram illustrating the method of handlingrequests for service to a remote user for transmitting data to theremote user in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One environment for the present invention is an existing cellularcommunications system. Such cellular communications systems includeamong others those constructed and operated in accordance with variouswell known standards, such a TDMA (IS-54 and IS-136), AMPS (IS-41),NAMPS, GSM, DCS1800, DCS1900, CDMA (IS-95), PACS, TACS, JTACS, and PDC.The present invention also has applicability to any other circuitswitched communications network having a control switch and a controllednode access point with a limited number of channels at each node, suchas digital loop carrier networks.

Turning to the drawings in which like numbers reference like parts orsteps, in the several figures, FIG. 1 of this specification is aschematic diagram of a cellular communications system 10 whichconstitutes one environment for the present invention. The cellularcommunications system 10 comprises a mobile switch 14 and a number ofcells, such as illustrated cell 22. The cellular communications system10 is connected to the public switched telecommunications system 12 viathe mobile switch 14.

Each cell, such as the cell 22, has a transmitter/receiver tower 24which transmits data to and receives data from remote users 26 (mobile1), 28 (mobile 2), and 30 (mobile 3). Each cell has a limited number ofchannels on which data can be transmitted and received. While each ofthe remote users 26, 28, and 30 are illustrated as an automobile basedtelephone user, the remote users may include a variety of devices, suchas hand held telephones, facsimile machines, computers, telemetrydevices, and control devices, among others.

The mobile switch 14 comprises a buffer 16, a cell controller 18, and ahome location register (HLR) 20. The cell controller 18 is a high speedgeneral purpose digital computer that is programmed to control thefunctions required of the mobile switch 14. The HLR 20 is a memorydevice capable of storing a database under control of the cellcontroller 18. The database in the HLR 20 includes the profile andauthorization information including the priority for each of the remoteusers. The buffer 16 is a memory device under control of the cellcontroller 18 that is used to receive and store data for later deliveryto a remote user in the cell in accordance with one aspect of thepresent invention. While the buffer 16 is illustrated as within themobile switch 14, the buffer could be remotely located.

In the cellular communications system 10, voice call service requiresimmediate access to a channel and continuity of connection over thechannel for the duration of the voice call. Voice call service will beconsidered unacceptable by remote users if a remote user cannot acquirea channel quickly and/or if voice calls are dropped during aconversation. By contrast, data call service does not require the sameimmediacy of access or continuity of connection. An e-mail message or afacsimile document may be delayed for several minutes or even hourswithout adversely effecting the usefulness of the data call service.Likewise transmission of an e-mail message or a facsimile document canbe interrupted and then resumed without adversely effecting the serviceas long as the resumption can pick up the transmission at the point ofinterruption.

The present invention provides a system and method for taking advantageof the differing priorities required for satisfactory voice calls anddata calls. In order to provide different priorities of service, eachremote user device is assigned a priority based on the nature of use ofthat remote user device. Each user's priority assignment is associatedwith the user's mobile identification number (MIN). The MIN associatedpriorities of each user are stored in the HLR database 20 at the mobileswitch 14. For example, the mobile telephones, which provide voice callservice, are assigned the highest priority. On the other hand wirelessfacsimile machines and wireless e-mail systems are assigned a lowerpriority.

While the present invention will be described in connection with a twopriority system, high priority for voice and low priority for data, theinvention lends itself to multiple priorities. Each lower level ofpriority offers the opportunity for lower charges by the serviceprovider to customers with low priority needs for transmission of data.Conversely, high priority service rationally brings with it theopportunity to charge more by the service provider.

In addition, a remote user device could be assigned multiple MINs eachwith a different priority or a mixture of priorities. Such multiple MINdevices could thus provide, for example, three channels of service, onechannel of high priority service and two additional channels of lowerpriority data service. Such device would have high priority access fordata transmission at all times and during off-peak times could use allthree channels for enhanced speed data transmission using all threechannels together.

Turning to FIG. 2, there is shown a flow diagram showing the method ofthe present invention when the remote user 26 (mobile 1) requestsservice from within the cell 22. The method of the present inventionbegins at step 200 with a request for service from mobile 1 in cell 22.The request for service is transmitted in conventional fashion to themobile switch 14.

At step 204, the cell controller 18 queries the HLR database 20 todetermine the priority of service for mobile 1 based on mobile 1'sprofile and authorization information. Mobile 1's profile andauthorization information was provided to the mobile switch 14 whenmobile 1 first registration with the service provider for the cellularcommunications system 10. After acquiring the profile and authorizationinformation including the priority for mobile 1 from the HLR at step204, the method proceeds to step 202.

At step 202, the cell controller 18 of the mobile switch 14 ascertainswhether there is an idle channel available to service the request forservice from mobile 1. If at step 202, the cell controller 18 of themobile switch 14 determines that there is an idle channel in cell 22,the method follows the "yes" branch to step 216, and the idle channel isassigned to mobile 1 without regard to mobile 1's priority. When thecall of mobile 1 is completed, the method proceeds to step 222 where thecompleted call is terminated for mobile 1.

If on the other hand there is not an idle channel available at step 202,the method follows the "no" branch from step 202 to step 206. At step206, the method determines if there is a current remote user in cell 22that has a priority lower than mobile 1's priority. If all the usershave a priority equal to or higher than mobile 1's priority, the methodfollows the "no" branch to step 220.

At step 220, base on the profile and authorization information formobile 1, the cell controller 18 determines whether mobile 1's callrequest should be queued for later connection. If mobile 1's profile andauthorization information does not authorize queuing, the method followsthe "no" branch to step 224 where mobile 1's call request is ended.Mobile 1 may not want to queue its call request if, for example, Mobile1 is a low priority voice service. Such a low priority voice callerexpects to be precluded from the network from time to time, but such avoice caller probably does not want to wait in a queue of underminedlength. Instead such a low priority voice caller may simple want toplace the call later.

On the other hand, if mobile 1 is a low priority data service, such adata caller may want to queue his call for later service. If the cellcontroller 18 determines at step 220 that mobile 1 has registered withthe service provider for queuing, the method then follows the "yes"branch to step 208. At step 208 the call request from mobile 1 is putinto a queue to await the next available channel in cell 22. At step208, the cell controller also notifies mobile 1 that its call requesthas been queued so that mobile 1 does not continue to send new callrequests to the mobile switch 14. At step 210, the queue is ordered bypriority and time of wait so that the call request with the highestpriority and the longest waiting time is at the head of the queue andwill be assigned the next available channel in cell 22. After orderingthe queue at step 210, the method returns to step 202 to seek the nextavailable channel in cell 22 for the call request for the remote user atthe head of the queue.

If, however, at step 206, the cell controller 18 determines that achannel in cell 22 is being used by a remote user, such as mobile 2,with a priority lower than mobile 1, the method follows the "yes" branchto step 212. At step 212, the cell controller 18 terminates mobile 2'slower priority data call, and at step 216, the cell controller 18allocates the vacated channel to mobile 1. Mobile 1's call is completeand terminated at step 222.

The selection of mobile 2 for call termination at step 212 is based onthe priority of mobile 2 and on the duration of mobile 2's call at thetime of termination. For example, if several current remote users havethe same priority as mobile 2, which is priority is lower than mobile 1,the cell controller 18 will terminate the remote user that has beenconnected for the longest time. In this case mobile 2 is assumed to bethe call with the longest duration of those users with the same priorityas mobile 2. As part of the termination process of mobile 2, thesoftware that controls the transmission of data to and from mobile 2will recognize the termination and mark the point in the transmissionwhere call termination occurred. On resumption of the call to mobile 2,the software will be able to pick up the data transfer at the point oftermination.

After the call of mobile 2 has been terminated at step 212, the methodproceeds to step 218 where, based on mobile 2's profile andauthorization information, the cell controller 18 determines whether arequest by mobile 2 for resumption of its call should be put in thequeue. If mobile 2's profile and authorization information does notauthorize queuing, the method follows the "no" branch from step 218 tostep 224 where mobile 2's call request to resume is ended.Alternatively, the method follows the "yes" branch from step 218 to step214 where the cell controller 18 puts a request to resume the terminatedcall of mobile 2 into the queue. At step 214, the cell controller 18also notifies mobile 2 that its call has been queued so that mobile 2will not try to reestablish its call by new call requests to the mobileswitch 14. The queue is ordered at step 210 as previously described, andthe ordered call requests in the queue wait for the next availablechannel in cell 22 as indicated by the return path to step 202.

If the terminated call for mobile 2 was transferring data to mobile 2 atthe time of termination, the cell controller 18 may maintain theconnection to the public switched telephone network 12 for resumption ofdata transfer when the call to mobile 2 is resumed on an idle channel.Alternatively, the cell controller 18 may store all of the data from thecaller in buffer 16, terminate the call from the public switchedtelephone network 12, and transfer the data from the buffer 16 to mobile2 upon reacquisition of an idle channel for mobile 2. Such storing andforwarding of data will be described in greater detail in connectionFIG. 3. If on the other hand the terminated call of mobile 2 wastransferring data from mobile 2 to a caller on the public switchedtelephone network 12, the cell controller 18 will maintain theconnection to the public switched telephone network 12 until a channelfor mobile 2 is reacquired and the transmission is complete.

Turning to FIGS. 3A and 3B, there is shown a flow diagram showing themethod of the present invention when a caller from the public switchedtelephone network 12 requests service to the remote user 26 (mobile 1)within the cell 22. The method of the present invention begins at step300 with a request for service from the public switched telephonenetwork 12 for a call to mobile 1 in cell 22. The request for service tomobile 1 is transmitted from the public switched telephone network 12 tothe mobile switch 14. After receiving the call request at step 300, themethod proceeds to step 304.

At step 304, the cell controller 18 queries the HLR database 20 todetermine the priority of service for mobile 1 based on the profile andauthorization information for mobile 1's MIN. Based on the priority ofmobile 1, the cell controller 18 determines at step 301 whether the callis a data transfer call. If at step 301 the cell controller 18determines that the call is not a data transfer call, the method followsthe "no" branch to step 302 (FIG. 3B).

If at step 301 the cell controller 18 determines that the call is a datatransfer call, the method follows the "yes" branch to step 303. At step303, the cell controller 18 determines whether the data should be storedin the buffer 16. The decision to store or not to store data at step 303is based on the cell controller's estimation of the length of waitbefore a connection can be made to mobile 1. If data is not stored, themethod follows the "no" branch to step 302 (FIG. 3B) and retains theconnection to the inbound caller on the public switchedtelecommunications network 12. If the data is stored at step 303, themethod follows the "yes" branch to step 307.

At step 307, the inbound data from the public switched telephone network12 is stored in buffer 16, and the connection from the public switchtelephone network is terminated. The use of buffer 16 and step 307 isoptional, and the mobile switch 14 could simply maintain the connectionto the public switched telephone network until the data transmission tomobile 1 is complete. After the data is stored in buffer 16 at step 307,the method proceeds to step 302 (FIG. 3B).

At step 302, the cell controller 18 of the mobile switch 14 ascertainswhether there is an idle channel available for servicing the callrequest to mobile 1. If there is an idle channel in cell 22, the methodfollows the "yes" branch to step 316, and the idle channel is allocatedto mobile 1 without regard to the priority of mobile 1. Once the call tomobile 1 has been completed, the method proceeds to step 322 where thecall to mobile 1 is terminated and the data for mobile 1 is emptied(marked to be overwritten) from the buffer.

If there is no idle channel available, the method follows the "no"branch to step 306. At step 306, the method determines if there is acurrent remote user in cell 22 that has a priority lower than mobile 1'spriority. If all the users have a priority equal to or higher thanmobile 1's priority, the method follows the "no" branch to step 320. Atstep 320, the cell controller determines from mobile 1's profile andauthorization information and from the handling of the inbound datawhether the call request to mobile 1 should be queued. If the inbounddata was not stored at step 307 (FIG. 3A), then the call request tomobile 1 may not queued, and the method follows the "no" branch to stepto step 324 where the inbound call request is ended, and the inboundcaller is notified that no connection was made to mobile 1. If theinbound data was stored at step 307 (FIG. 3A), then the call request tomobile 1 will be placed in an order queue by the cell controller 18, andthe method will follow the "yes" branch to step 308.

At step 308 the call request to mobile 1 is put into the ordered queue,mobile 1 is notified that it has an inbound queued call request awaitingthe next available channel in cell 22. At step 310 the queue is orderedby priority and time of wait so that the call request with the highestpriority and the longest waiting time is moved to the head of the queuefor assignment to the next available channel in cell 22. After orderingthe queue at step 310, the method returns to step 302 to seek the nextavailable channel in cell 22 for the call request at the head of theordered queue.

If, however, at step 306, the cell controller 18 determines that achannel in cell 22 is being used by a remote user, such as mobile 2,with a priority lower than mobile 1, the method follows the "yes" branchto step 312. At step 312, the cell controller 18 terminates mobile 2'slower priority data call, and at step 316 allocates the vacated channelto mobile 1. The selection of mobile 2 for call termination is based onthe priority of mobile 2 and on the duration of mobile 2's call at thetime of termination. As part of the termination process for mobile 2,the software that controls the transmission of data to and from mobile 2will recognize the termination and mark the point in the transmissionwhere call termination occurred. On resumption of the call to mobile 2,the software will pick up the data transfer at the point of termination.

After the call of mobile 2 has been terminated at step 312, the methodproceeds to step 318 where the cell controller 18 determines whethermobile 2's request to resume its connection should be queue or ended. Ifthe call request to resume is to be ended, the method follows the "no"branch to step 324 where the cell controller 18 ends the request ofmobile 2 to resume its terminated call. Alternatively, the methodfollows the "yes" branch from step 318 to step 314 where the cellcontroller 18 puts mobile 2's request to resume its terminated call intothe ordered queue and notifies mobile 2 that its request to resume hasbeen queued. The queue is ordered at step 310, and the call requests inthe queue wait for the next available channel in cell 22 for the callrequest at the head of the ordered queue as indicated by the return pathto step 302.

Based on the foregoing it should also be appreciated that the presentinvention also contemplates multiple priorities for multiple levels ofservice. For example, voice callers could be given multiple levels todistinguish emergency services from other voice calls. On a lowerpriority level data transmissions could be further subdivided, forexample, to provide a higher priority for facsimile transmission thanfor e-mail. Further e-mail could be further subdivided to provide higherand lower levels of priority service. Each priority could be offered aseparate rate. The ordering of the queue in the mobile switch 14 assuresthat the various requests for service for each device is serviced in theproper priority order as idle channels become available.

While the present invention has been described in connection with acellular communications system, the invention is equally applicable toany switched communications system having a switch for controllingaccess to a network access node with a limited number of access channelsfor serving remote users. Digital loop carriers is another example ofsuch a switched communications system environment in which the presentinvention finds applicability.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a switched communications system having a switch, remote users, a network access node, and a limited number of channels per network access node, a method for transmitting data using idle channels comprising:a. assigning a priority to each remote user, b. receiving a request for service at the switch for a first remote user; c. ascertaining if any channel at the access node of the first remote user is idle; and d. if a channel is not idle,i. searching for a second remote user with a priority lower than the first remote user among the remote users that are using the channels of the access node; ii. if a second remote user with a priority lower than the first remote user is found,(a) terminating the call of the second remote user; and (b) allocating the cannel of the second remote user to the first remote user; and iii. if a second remote user with a priority lower than the first remote user is not found,(a) placing the request for service for the first remote user in a queue; (b) ordering the queue based on the priority of the remote users in the queue; and (c) when a channel becomes idle, allocating that idle channel to the remote user at the head of the queue.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first remote user is assigned multiple channels with one or more priorities.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes searching for the second remote user based on the duration of the second remote user's call.
 4. The method of claim 1, where upon termination of the call of the second remote user, a request for service for the second remote user is placed in the queue for connection when an idle channel becomes available.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for service for the first remote user includes a request for the transmission of inbound data to the first remote user and the method further includes receiving the inbound data for storage at the mobile switch until the first remote user is assigned an idle channel and transmitting the inbound data to the first remote user from the mobile switch when the first remote user is assigned an idle channel.
 6. In a switched communications system having a switch, remote users, network access nodes, and a limited number of channels per network access node, a method for transmitting data using idle channels comprising:a. assigning a priority to each remote user, b. receiving a request for service at the switch for a first remote user; c. ascertaining if any channel at the access node of the first remote user is idle; d. if a channel is not idle:i. checking the priority of the first remote user; and ii. searching for a second remote user with a priority lower than the first remote user among the remote users that are using the channels at the access node; iii. if a second remote user with a priority lower than the first remote user is found, terminating the call of the second remote user and allocating the channel of the second remote user to the first remote user; and iv. if a second remote user with a priority lower than the first remote user is not found, placing the request for service for first remote user in a queue, ordering the queue, and when a channel becomes idle, allocating that idle channel to the remote user at the head of the queue.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first remote user is assigned multiple channels with one or more priorities.
 8. The method of claim 6, where the method further includes searching for the second remote user based on the duration of the second remote user's call.
 9. The method of claim 6, where upon termination of the call of the second remote user, a request for service for the second remote user is placed in the queue for connection when an idle channel becomes available.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the queue is ordered based on priority of each remote user in the queue.
 11. The method of claim 6, wherein the queue is ordered based on priority of each remote user in the queue.
 12. The method of claim 6, wherein the request for service for the first remote user includes a request for the transmission of inbound data to the first remote user and the method further includes receiving the inbound data for storage at the switch until the first remote user is assigned an idle channel and transmitting the inbound data to the first remote user from the switch when the first remote user is assigned an idle channel.
 13. A switched communications system having a switch, remote users, network access nodes, and a limited number of channels per network access node, the switch comprising:a. a memory containing a database in which a priority for each remote user is recorded; and b. a node controller operatively connected to the memory and configured to control the functions of the switch, wherein the node controller:i. receives a request for service at the switch for a first remote user; ii. ascertains if any channel at the access node of the first remote user is idle; and iii. if a channel is not idle:(a) searches for a second remote user with a priority lower than the first remote user among the remote users that are using the channels at the access node; (b) if the node controller finds a second remote user with a priority lower than the first remote user, terminates the call of the second remote user and allocates the channel of the second remote user to the first remote user; (c) if the node controller does not find a second remote user with a priority lower than the first remote user, establishes a queue and places the request for service for the first remote user in the queue, orders the queue based on the priority of the remote users in the queue, and when a channel becomes idle, allocates that idle channel to the remote user at the head of the queue.
 14. The switched communications system of claim 13, wherein the first remote user is assigned in the database multiple channels with one or more priorities.
 15. The switched communications system of claim 13, wherein the node controller searches for the second remote user based on the duration of the second remote user's call.
 16. The switched communications system of claim 13, where upon termination of the call of the second remote user, the node controller places a request for service for the second remote user in the queue for connection when an idle channel becomes available.
 17. The switched communications system of claim 13, wherein the switch further comprises a buffer for receiving and storing inbound data when the request for service for the first remote user includes transmitting the data to the first remote user, wherein the inbound data is stored in the buffer until the first remote user is assigned an idle channel and the inbound data is transmitted to the first remote user from the buffer when the first remote user is assigned an idle channel.
 18. In a switched communications system having a switch, remote users, network access nodes, and a limited number of channels per network access node, the switch comprising:a. a memory containing a database in which a priority for each remote user is recorded; and b. a node controller operatively connected to the memory and configured to control the functions of the switch, wherein the node controller:i. receives a request for service at the switch for a first remote user; ii. ascertains if any channel at the access node of the first remote user is idle; iii. if a channel is not idle:(a) searches for a second remote user with a priority lower than the first remote user among the remote users that are using the channels at the access node; (b) if a second remote user with a priority lower than the first remote user is found, terminates the call of the second remote user and allocates the channel of the second remote user to the first remote user; and (c) if a second remote user with a priority lower than the first remote user is not found, establishes a queue and places the request for service for the first remote user in the queue, orders the queue, and when a channel becomes idle, allocates that idle channel to a remote user based on the order of the queue.
 19. The switched communications system of claim 18, wherein the first remote user is assigned in the database multiple channels with one or more priorities.
 20. The switched communications system of claim 18, wherein the node controller searches for the second remote user based on the duration of the second remote user's call.
 21. The switched communications system of claim 18, where upon termination of the call of the second remote user, the node controller places a request for service for the second remote user in the queue for connection when an idle channel becomes available.
 22. The switched communications system of claim 21, wherein the node controller orders the queue based on the priority of the remote users in the queue.
 23. The switched communications system of claim 18, wherein the node controller orders the queue based on the priority of the remote users in the queue.
 24. The switched communications system of claim 18, wherein the switch further comprises a buffer for receiving and storing inbound data when the request for service for the first remote user includes transmitting the data to the first remote user, wherein the inbound data is stored in the buffer until the first remote user is assigned an idle channel and the inbound data is transmitted to the first remote user from the buffer when the first remote user is assigned an idle channel.
 25. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of assigning a priority to each remote user comprises associating the priority with a Mobile Identification Number of the remote user.
 26. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of assigning a priority to each remote user comprises associating the priority with a Mobile Identification Number of the remote user.
 27. The system of claim 11, wherein the priority for each remote user is recorded in the database in association with a Mobile Identification Number of the remote user.
 28. The system of claim 15, wherein the priority for each remote user is recorded in the database in association with a Mobile Identification Number of the remote user. 